After observing my phenology spot in Centennial Woods for the past two semesters, I feel as though I have come to know this place on many different levels: physically, personally, theoretically, historically, etc.  With this sense of place I have developed, I feel as though I am capable of relating my spot in the woods to most of the theoretical perspectives we learned about in NR 2.  To begin, limits apply to this space.  There is a limit to how many people may occupy my phenology spot without completely trampling it.  There is a limit to personal freedoms in the woods.  There are rules in place that one must adhere to because the woods is the legal property of an established institution, known as the University of Vermont.  This is how limits ties into another theoretical perspective–institutions.  Institutions, in this instance, set up limits for individuals.  Additionally, social construction ties into the idea of a UVM “natural area.”  Centennial Woods is considered a natural space, which is true, however, human beings control the way the woods look, its boundaries, the species inside it, and how human beings are allowed to interact with the space.  Ethics also play into the functioning of my phenology spot in Centennial Woods.  Is it ethical to place a contained patch of “wildlife” in the middle of the biggest city in Vermont thereby constricting much the wildlife that lives there?  Is it ethical for forestry students to disturb the forest community in the parts of the forest where paths do not exist?  Is it ethical for myself to trample the ground as I make my way down the hill towards my phenology spot just to take a couple of pictures to get a grade in a class?  There is so much more to consider about my phenology spot in Centennial Woods than just the physicality of the space asi this NR 2 blog project encourages.

Over these past two semesters, I have gotten to know the “citizens” of my spot, as well.  These citizens include nonhuman beings such as the ferns that cover the ground, oak trees that reach toward the sky, the two downed trees that stretch across the brook, making a bridge for the chipmunks who scamper around the area.  Perhaps even the small fish that pass through my spot on their way to other parts of the brook.  These citizens also include the human beings who enjoy this “natural area.”  These are students, professors, families, joggers, walkers, philosophers, healers, hoodlums, and friends of nature.

In terms of how to establish a sense of care or shared trust in the area for the indefinite future, there are a few ways to go about this of which I’ve thought.  Ideally, I would say the best way to create a sense of care among future human visitors would be to show them the delicate intricacies of my spot, and hopefully they will adopt this sense of admiration for the way of life there and respect and steward the area, as well.  Otherwise, perhaps larger institutions, such as UVM (who “owns” the woods), could work to instill a greater sense of stewardship and respectful attitudes towards nature in its students.  This way, the ecosystem in Centennial Woods may continue to thrive as it is now, and may even reduce the amount of illegal or damaging activities that occur in the woods on regular basis.

Centennial Woods is a University of Vermont natural area.  This means that there are rules posted at the entrance of the woods telling visitors what they cannot do in the woods.  These rules curb the behavior of those who choose to enter the woods because there are likely consequences for violators if those rules are broken.  This brings about an ethical paradox for me when visiting my phenology spot.  The rules encourage me to stay on the path, yet I must stray from the path to get away from people in the “natural area.”  This is an ethical choice, for I know that by straying from the path, I am violating the rules, as well as potentially damaging the young plants below my feet.  My yearning for a quiet, “natural-looking” place in the woods combined with my need for a good grade in the class pushes my to overcome the ethical obstacles of disturbing the ecosystem and breaking the rules of the forest.

As human beings, we tend to create societal social constructions of our ideal of nature.  For example, why did I choose the spot I did in Centennial Woods to signify nature?  Why did I pick an area of the woods off the trail and absent of visible human impacts?  Why did I not choose a spot closer to my dorm, or even just look out my window to pick a phenology spot?  Seasonal changes would still be visible, I would not have to travel so far, and I would not disrupt the natural environment of the woods if I had chosen a spot on campus.  Perhaps it is all in my perception of “nature,” or what I consider to be “natural.”

1.)        In terms of resource use, Centennial Woods has gone through much change over time.  From its first encounters with human beings through present-day Burlington, the Woods have changed appearance dramatically.  Additionally, the resources that human beings in the area have demanded from the Woods has changed over time.  All of this history has had a hand in shaping the landscape into its current form today.

About one hundred fifty years ago, Centennial Woods was farmland.  As the years passed, the farm was likely abandoned or transformed into something else.  I have knowledge that the Woods was once an apple farm, as evidenced by some apple trees visible from the path near the entrance of the woods.  These farms reveal that people used the soil there as a resource.  They also likely used the water from Centennial Brook as irrigation for the fields, or at least benefitted from occasional flooding and soil enrichment.

Now, the land is used as a natural area.  The resource is its wildlife and a getaway from the bustle of UVM and Burlington.  Also, UVM students use Centennial Woods for research, so the biology of the Woods can be considered a resource currently in demand.

2.)        Centennial Woods is owned by the University of Vermont and is deemed a natural area, meaning construction is not allowed, among many other restrictions.  These regulations and rules are an example of institutions curbing human behavior in the space.  I believe there have been efforts to remove invasive species from the Woods.  This is an example of institutions regulating natural areas.  In the future, perhaps the university will conduct various studies that alter the landscape, such as experimenting with forest structure.  This human dominance over the forest has continued from the past, into the present, and likely into the future.  The difference may be that now people are much more concerned about the health of the forest and are developing a greater respect for the environment and its functions.

I think the best description I can give of the relationship between nature and culture can be illustrated by a previous post I made about the social-ecological systems present in my phenology spot.  In the post about social-ecological systems, I talk at length about the interactions between human beings and the landscape.  I copy and pasted it below:

I made “wildlife” the focal component of my social-ecological system.  This is because Centennial Woods is wildlife.  The woods are composed of trees, soils, birds, mammals, and water to make up a natural, largely-undeveloped portion of the city of Burlington, Vermont.  Since my phenology spot is located inside of Centennial Woods, and I mentioned that Centennial Woods is wildlife, it makes sense for the most involved aspect of the system to be centralized.  The other components of my social-ecological system include the people of Burlington, trails, students conducting research in the woods, walkers, myself in my spot, anthropogenic noise pollution, and storm water from drains in University Heights in Centennial Brook.  For each of these, I will explain why there is an arrow pointing from one component to another and why the arrow has either a positive or negative connotation to it.

People of Burlington

• negative arrow toward wildlife because Burlington is an urban area whose infrastructure infringes upon the area’s natural areas

Students Doing Research In Woods

• postive and negative arrow going to wildlife because they often step off the path and likely trample vegetation, yet the work they do is often for the benefit of the wildlife in Centennial Woods
• negative arrow toward me in my spot because sometimes when I visit my phenology spot, students are conducting research in the same place or close by which disrupts me physically if I have to move and it makes it tougher to listen for birds

Trails

• positive arrow for people of Burlington, walkers, students doing research, and myself because they provide access to the woods
• negative arrow toward wildlife because the paths fragment the forest habitat and compact the soils

Walkers

• negative arrow toward wildlife because they can be disruptive through talking and may stray off the trail or pollute
• negative arrow toward me because they disrupt wildlife, which is what I am trying to observe

Wildlife

• positive arrow to the people of Burlington for the ecosystem services the natural area provides to the city
• positive arrow to walkers because often times, people walk in the woods in hopes of finding animals and to be surrounded by trees
• positive arrow to me in my spot because wildlife is what gives me material to use in my phenology blog

Noise Pollution

• negative effect on wildlife because the noise drowns out bird calls and the unnatural sounds may stress out some of the animals
• negative arrows to walkers, me in my spot, and students doing research because the noise overpowers the natural sounds of the woods
• positive and negative arrows for the people of Burlington because they benefit from the airplanes, yet also have to deal with the loud noises

Storm Water Draining into Centennial Brook

• negative effect on wildlife because the water probably contains contaminants from vehicles and students who pollute the water that goes into the storm drains
• positive arrow to people of Burlington because the drains are a way of preventing flooding

http://blog.uvm.edu/blangton/2015/10/11/the-link-to-the-embedded-map/

(a map can also be found as my very first post)

All photographs were taken by me, Ben Langton, on the date that I say they were taken in my posts.

Before Centennial Woods was deemed a natural area, human beings used the landscape for other purposes.  I did some first-hand exploration to see what I could find out about the land-use history in my specific spot.  My spot is located on the banks of Centennial Brook.  There is evidence of erosion on the shoreline, which leads me to believe that this place would have been prime land for farming.  The nutrients from the river would likely have flooded onto the land occasionally, enriching the soil to grow crops well.  There are also a lack of very old trees in my spot, which is another clue for farming.  I am also led to believe that there was an apple or crabapple farm or grove nearby at one time because on the walk to my spot, I noticed some crabapple trees, which would be very out of place in an undisturbed forest.